Ferguson-Florissant all-girls robotic team receives grant

Middle school girls will get to build robots and compete with them, all thanks to a grant.

Gear Girls is the all-girls robotics team at Cross Keys Middle School in the Ferguson-Florissant School District. It's made up of three brainy competitors-- seventh grader Aviana Carter, and eighth graders Jasmyn Ray and Aaliyah Buford.

The team won a grant through the Robotics Education & Competition Foundation that will allow them to purchase equipment and materials to build robots, as well as register for the first VEX Robotics competition, which will be held at Kirkwood Middle School this December.

“It’s because of the grant that we are able to have an all-girls team. Even though two of the girls are eighth graders, and will move on to McCluer North High School next year, the lasting impact of this grant will serve them, and our future students for years to come," said robotics coach Eric Brown.

This year will be the second that Cross Keys has had a competitive VEX Robotics team. Besides Gear Girls, two other robotics teams from the school will also compete.